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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings |
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Let's get one thing straight right from the start: this is a classic. Yes, a nitpicker could point out some flaws in it, like how it seems somewhat rushed in places, but having read the book, it could easily have been twice as long, and to be honest, i would have happily sat through it. Well, as long as the seats were comfy. Piles is a much-underrated risk, you know. |
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(l-r) Sam Gamgee, Frodo Baggins, Merry Brandybuck, Pippin Took |
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Plot: in case you don't know, the background is summed up in the engraving on the ring itself, helpfully provided here: |
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ONE RING TO RULE THEM ALL,
ONE RING TO FIND THEM,
ONE RING TO BRING THEM ALL,
AND IN THE DARKNESS BIND THEM. |
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A dark lord called Sauron made a pact with the different peoples of Middle-Earth, where the story is set; giving to the rulers of each race a ring, with which they were given the power to rule over their subjects for as long as they wished. Of course, being a DARK lord (you'd have thought that was a bit of a hint) the rings were evil, and eventually corrupted the rulers of Men. Also, Sauron made for himself a great ring, which gave him the very strength he needed to live, and also the strength to control all the other rings. The Men, driven mad with the lust for power, became Ringwraiths, servants of Sauron who would stop at nothing to reclaim the great ring.
Anyway, in a great battle between the free-peoples of the West and Sauron's evil army, Sauron had his hand cut off by the Westernmen's King, Isildur, and so he was destroyed without his Ring of Power. The good guys had one chance to destroy the ring for good, in Mount Doom (lovely name), where it was made. Instead, Isildur kept it for himself. Unfortunately, he was killed later in battle, and the ring was lost at the bottom of a river, where it lay for over 2000 years.
It was found by Gollum, who ran away into an underground cave, miles beneath the Misty Mountains, where the ring gave him the ability to live for over 500 years, living on raw fish and the power that his "preciouss" gave him. In the prequel to Lord of the Rings, Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire, was making his way through Gollum's mountain with Gandalf and a band of Dwarves. He found the ring and kept it, eventually returning to the Shire with it. He passed it on to his nephew, Frodo, who became his heir.
That is just the background to the film. The film itself involves the Fellowship that is formed to protect the ring, and eventually take it back to Mount Doom to destroy it. The group is made up of an elf, Legolas, a dwarf, Gimli, two men, Aragorn (or Strider) and Boromir, a wizard, Gandalf, and four hobbits, Frodo, Sam, Pippin and Merry. As for the rest, you'll have to see it for yourself. |
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The film itself is magnificently done, with an incredible attention to detail that would have made Tolkien himself pound. Each character has just enough of an introduction for the viewer to tell just exactly what the hell is going on, (not easy with a dozen main parts), and the introduction itself is as close to perfect as humanly possible. Filmed in New Zealand, there are some (sorry about this) breathtaking panoramas, from the threatening Barad-Dur to the cosy and welcoming Shire. Ian MacKellan is outstanding as Gandalf, and Elijah Wood is endlessly cute as the ring-bearing Hobbit, Frodo. Liv Tyler is just hot. ;)
The one complaint I heard most was the decision to leave out the whole story of Tom Bombadil, the lovable stoner who lives in the woods and talks to trees. Indeed. To be fair, something had to go, and Tom wasn't really essential to the story, and so was the prime target to be cut back on.Even better, the DVD release of the film has promised over three hours extra footage, so watch out for that.
With the sequel a matter of months away, I muct apologise for how late this thing actually is, what with exams and all, i just haven't had time. Watch this space for more additions soon. |
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To wrap up, it's a classic, and truly does the book justice, the first adaptation to do so. I loved it, and am well looking forward to The Two Towers. I just had a thought there: The TWO TOWERS is coming out almost exactly a year after September the 11th. Oops. Ah well, this one rocks: |
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5 DAVES!! |
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